Having the opportunity to write and review means that sometimes various promotion companies get in contact to inform you about a band on their roster that they hope you might write about. There are times when something you listen to jumps out and leaves a desire not only to hear more but to also write about as you find yourself captivated. That happened to me when sent information about a new album due to be released in July called Nattarvet (according to Google translate “Night Inherited“) from the band called Wormwood.
About the band:
Wormwood are a 4 piece (according to their Facebook page) melodic black metal band from Sweden. They have one EP and one album out at the moment (the album is called Ghostlands: Wounds From A Bleeding Earth which came out in 2017). The band consists of vocalist Nine, guitarists T Rydsheim and J Engstrom, drummer D Johansson and according to their webpage also bassist Borka making it possibly a 5-piece. The band themselves on their website describe what they do as “atmospheric blackened folk ‘n’ roll”. It certainly has plenty of atmosphere with the track they have released with a video has a long musical section which is very Floydian (never a bad thing when done well) with the verses capturing the despair of the historical time they have written about. I think the word “bleak” covers the sound as well as the landscape of the song and time. It is indeed black metal with folky sections yet rather progressive. Checking back to the album which is out at the moment there is quite a bit of folk with at least one song having a lovely female vocal through it.
“The Isolationist” video and song:
The song released (watch the video at foot of news piece) is called “The Isolationist” and tells the story of the horrendous famine in Sweden in 1867 caused by summer never arriving in the north. The famines effects were still felt in the following year. They do a great in creating the vibe of loneliness, the snow everywhere, the crops not being able to grow, losing loved ones and not being able to do a thing about it in the isolated communities in the mountains far from cities. Haunting brutal and yet beautiful and moving the track really tells the story of the event.
For anyone who has an interest in storytelling, dark but progressive music this should be of interest. I await the album eagerly after hearing this one 12 minute song. Nattarvet is due out July 26 on Black Lodge Records and “The Isolationist” is available on usual outlets.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciDZw2_JXrg[/embedyt]
